THE former medical director of the organ scandal-hit Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool is due to face the General Medical Council today.

Despite records being kept under wraps, it is believed that 17 doctors were implicated in the organ stock-piling affair.

Their cases were individually studied by the GMC but following the first stage of the inquiry 16 doctors are no longer facing action.

But Dr John Martin, who was in charge before the organ retention scan-dal, will today appear before the hearing in London. He is accused of serious professional misconduct by failing to take adequate steps regarding delays in the provision of post-mortem histology and a backlog in the delivery of final post-mortem reports.

Speaking from his stone farmhouse in the village of Llanasa, in Flintshire, Dr Martin declared his innocence.

The father-of-three said: "I have been notified by the General Medical Council that I must appear before their professional conduct committee.

"I am delighted that most of my colleagues have been told by the GMC they are not going to take any further action.

"But obviously I am disappointed they have decided I have a case to answer. Although I would not say I was being made a scapegoat, as a high profile former worker at Alder Hey I could be seen as an easy target.

"At the moment I feel that I am innocent. But innocence is not really a black and white issue in a case like this. I am advised that I have a very good defence.

"I did not know Prof van Velzen was stock-piling organs. The argument is that I should have known and done something about it. However, I simply did not know."

Alder Hey was exposed in September 1999 for storing thousands of dead children's organs without permission and more body parts were found in storage in 2000.

Dr Dick van Velzen, head of foetal and infant pathology at the hospital, was named as being at the centre of the scandal and was suspended by the GMC in February 2001.

Many bereaved families held second, third and even fourth funerals after lungs, brains, hearts, and organs were returned to them. It was only then that they discovered that organs had been taken without their knowledge.